


Excalibur's Secret

by VioletLink7



Series: The Tales of a Bookwyrm [1]
Category: Merlin (TV), The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-29 04:13:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6358873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletLink7/pseuds/VioletLink7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young girl named Cassandra Cillian held Excalibur. She had felt a pull to the sword from the moment she'd first laid eyes on it. Now, holding it in her hands, she knew why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been floating around in my head since the episode "And the Fables of Doom" aired, and back in September I finally got it all together on FanFiction.Net. It took me quite awhile to figure out how to work with the contradictions the two canons pose, but it's been pretty fun! My beta, Lost-Lovegood (L) has been so wonderful in helping me out, though she's never seen Merlin and has only just started watching The Librarians. So now these stories have been cross-posted to AO3, and I will continue to do so for future installments!  
> -Vi
> 
> Well. I've actually seen the show since September, so that's a big plus on my understanding of this whole shebang. Still don't know much about Merlin, but most of them are dead now so that's okay! Most of my fun during these stress-filled academic times comes from naming these, so I'm down for all future installments.  
> ~L
> 
> (I named Excalibur's Secret, but L has named everything else so far, including the series. She also gives me lists of awesome titles to choose from that I include with my A/Ns. Without her I'd be a lost little mess sometimes. -Vi)

Merlin rushed to the battlefield as fast as humanly, magically, possible. He had no time to bother with a disguise, if he could save Arthur it didn’t matter if all of Camelot’s army knew his identity. Sidhe staff in hand, the sorcerer practically flew across the land, stopping at the top of the cliffs surrounding the battle. Knights on both sides were dying left and right, but he could see no sign of Arthur.  

Best to deal with the army first, he thought, then Arthur would be easier to find. Merlin called to the magic around him, in the earth, in the air, he gathered it all under his power. With the Sidhe staff to help focus his magic, control became much easier. He rained lightning down upon the Saxons, focusing all his energy into not harming a single citizen of Camelot. 

This was far more difficult than smiting Nimueh had been. She was one person, and though it took a great deal more power to kill her than these knights, he did not have to worry about protecting other people. Still, Merlin was determined to succeed. He wouldn’t let even one more Knight of Camelot fall. 

The red-cloaked knights backed off as more and more lightning appeared to smite their enemies. They didn’t know why it was happening, nor why the lightning avoided them. Even the knights still locked in combat with the Saxons were left alone by the all-powerful force. 

“Look! Up on the cliff!” some knight shouted, pointing to a figure high above them. He seemed to be commanding the lightning. With all of the flashes of light around them and the darkening sky, they could not see his face. Then all of a sudden, the lightning stopped. The figure raised his arms, seeming to be confused that his attack had cut off. Without the distraction of the lightning, Sir Galahad and Sir Kay peered closer at the figure. 

“Merlin?” Galahad questioned. “Am I going insane?” 

“If you are, then so am I,” Kay concluded. Neither of them knew Merlin well, but they saw the lanky servant every day. The man moved out of sight just as two of the remaining Saxons tried to catch the two knights from behind. Their swords bounced off the knights’ armor like they were mere sticks. Camelot rejoined the battle, having the upper hand now, as there were not many Saxons left to fight. 

Merlin had found Arthur. He absentmindedly cast a spell on Sirs Kay and Galahad as he left; he couldn’t waste any more time on the knights, but he still didn’t want any of them to die. Down from the cliffs now, Merlin ran towards Arthur, who was clashing swords with Mordred as Morgana watched. There was a crown atop Morgana’s head, silver with a blue gem laid in the front. How arrogant, Merlin thought. 

Merlin wanted to shout for Arthur, but he wouldn’t risk distracting him from the fight. Instead, Merlin turned towards Morgana and shot his hand out. Nothing happened. Merlin tried again. And again. He tried more and more spells and nothing worked. Morgana finally looked his way, a smirk clear on her face. 

“Finding it a little hard to do magic, are we, Merlin?” she asked. Arthur turned at the sound of his name. There was confusion in the look he gave Merlin, it seemed he hadn’t seen the warlock’s ostentatious display earlier. His distraction gave Mordred the opening he needed, his blade plunging deep into Arthur’s side. 

“Arthur!” Merlin shouted as his friend and king cried in anguish. Arthur took one last glance at Merlin before turning back to Mordred. He feebly raised his own dragon blade, pulling on his last bits of strength to kill the man who had killed him. The two knights fell. 

“No!” Merlin cried with such anguish even Morgana almost felt bad. The sorcerer rushed to his king, trying in vain to treat his wound. Merlin used every spell he knew, but unbeknownst to him, a piece of Mordred’s blade had broken off inside Arthur’s body. It was only a matter of time before the poisonous metal took his life. 

Morgana wasn’t even trying to stop Merlin’s healing magic, she knew it was no use. She watched the man struggle to save his best friend. As Arthur took his last breath, and Merlin cried, Morgana pulled Excalibur free from the dying druid at her feet.  

“Now I make my own destiny,” Morgana spat. She drove Excalibur straight through Merlin’s back and into his heart. As Merlin cried his last, he felt his very soul tear in two. His magic pulled itself free from his body and bound itself to the sword lodged in his chest, taking a portion of his soul with it. Merlin’s consciousness faded from the world. 

Over one thousand years in the future, a young girl named Cassandra Cillian held Excalibur. She had felt a pull to the sword from the moment she’d first laid eyes on it. When the sword was returned to the stone, she’d nearly passed out from the rush of magic through the world. Now, holding it in her hands, she knew why. 

Excalibur was dying, there was only a fraction of the magic it once contained remaining within the blade. The Librarian, Flynn Carson, was also lying before her, dying of a magical wound caused by Excalibur. He’d handed her the sword, telling her the magic could save her life by removing the tumor in her brain, but the moment she held it she knew she couldn’t do it. 

Cassandra doubled over, a searing pain running through her head. She saw images of Flynn, of the Library, of the last fifteen-hundred years of history. She remembered over a millennium of being Excalibur, and those memories stirred even deeper ones within herself, memories of Merlin. Cassandra remembered everything, from her home in Ealdor, to Camelot’s great citadel, to the Knights of the Round Table. 

Most of all, she remembered how she’d died, failing to protect Arthur, and her magic had split her soul in two, binding a piece of it to Excalibur. Merlin Ambrosius was reborn as Cassandra Cillian and now she was whole. Emrys had returned to the world. She would not fail Flynn Carson as she had failed her king all those years ago. 

Cassandra placed Excalibur over Flynn’s wound, healing him with the last of her magic instead of herself. Really, she couldn’t have made any other choice. Now that she was a whole person again, and remembered her time as a servant in Camelot, she knew she’d never betray the Library again. She had betrayed her new friends out of fear for her life and because she had forgotten what it was like to risk your life every day simply by existing. Cassandra definitely had it better than Merlin had. 

Flynn woke up immediately, shaking his head to clear it of the fog of near-death. Ezekiel and Stone pulled him up to his feet and he looked around, slightly dazed. 

“No,” he said, eyes landing on Cassandra, “no, that was supposed to be for you.” Cassandra shook her head, holding back tears. 

“You already have saved me,” she said. More than you know, she added silently. She was seeing Flynn in a new light, remembering her time as Excalibur and how close they had been. She wondered if she should tell any of them what she remembered. She decided Flynn, at least, had to know. 

Flynn looked down, noticing Excalibur on the cave floor. It was just lying there, still, and no longer shining with magic. It was as if it was a normal sword now. Well, Cassandra thought, it is no longer sentient, but it is still a dragon-forged blade and must be protected. She’d make sure it got back to the Library someday. 

Staring at it made her wonder what had become of Kilgarrah and Aithusa over the years. She’d have to try calling them some time, if she still had access to her Dragonlord magic. The rest of her magic was inside the earth, repairing the ley lines, and she wasn’t sure when she’d be able to use it again. 

Flynn picked up the sword, looking at it with such anguish on his face that Cassandra wanted to tell him right then and there that Excalibur wasn’t really dead. However, she knew that it was a conversation best held in private, and decided to wait until she could get Flynn alone. 

-o- 

Cassandra sat outside the Library Annex with Ezekiel and Stone, awaiting their fate with the Library. She still hadn’t had the chance to talk to Flynn. 

“Your airline tickets,” Jenkins called behind them. He walked up and handed each of them a white envelope. 

“What, that’s it?” Stone asked. 

“For you, yes,” Flynn said, having just walked up with Colonel Baird. “Thank you very much. I don’t think it’s fair or safe to involve you in this life any longer.” This couldn’t be it. She couldn’t just go back to the boring life of a hospital worker after all of this. She needed to find out why she had been reborn, why her soul was bound to Excalibur, what had happened to Camelot after she and Arthur had died. 

“Flynn wait,” she said. “I need to talk to you. Please.” The Librarian looked at her curiously, studying her in that way he always had, trying to figure out her intentions. “It’s about Excalibur,” she added. That would get his attention. Flynn’s eyebrows rose in surprise and apprehension, but he nodded and gestured for her to come inside with him. 

Cassandra wandered around the main room of the Annex, looking at all the little things strewn here and there, but not saying anything. Flynn watched her, his patience being tested. 

“What about Excalibur, Cassandra?” he asked. She stopped her pacing and looked at the man. 

“I—“ she began, “I’m not quite sure how to say this. It’s going to sound…weird.” 

“In case you hadn’t noticed, weird is kind of my thing,” Flynn replied. 

“I know…but this is something I guarantee you haven’t faced before. I suppose I’ll just start with a story,” Cassandra decided, “but you have to promise not to interrupt until I finish.” 

“I can certainly try,” Flynn said. Cassandra smiled, he never was good at shutting up. It reminded her of the days when Arthur would complain about her incessant talking. Merlin always knew he didn’t really hate it, though. 

“About fifteen-hundred years ago, there was a sorcerer named Merlin Ambrosius,” she started. 

“Well, there is some argument about when Camelot wa—” Flynn started. Cassandra just stared at him. “Sorry. Shutting up.” Cassandra giggled; that sounded familiar. 

“As I was saying, Merlin was the manservant to Arthur Pendragon, he went with him everywhere, protecting the young king in secret with his magic,” Cassandra continued. Flynn started to argue again, but she put her finger over his mouth to silence him. “Magic was illegal in Camelot, you see, so it had to be a secret. Merlin risked his life every day with his very existence, but he steadfastly served Arthur. 

“There came a time, however, that Merlin had to leave Arthur before a big battle. Arthur’s sister, Morgana, had stolen his magic from him. He went to the Crystal Cave, the birthplace of magic, to try and get it back as Arthur rode out to Camlann. Merlin regained his magic in the cave and learned that he could never truly lose it. 

“Merlin’s very essence was magic, he was the spirit of Magic itself bound to a human soul. Merlin made his way to Camlann, but despite his efforts in destroying the Saxons, he could not save Arthur. Mordred and Arthur killed each other with their swords, and Morgana then drove Excalibur through Merlin’s heart. 

“Merlin’s magic was unable to leave the world, however, and so it tore his soul in two, binding a piece of it to Excalibur.” 

“Excalibur was _Merlin?!”_ Flynn asked incredulously. “All this time I thought he had simply gained sentience because he was so powerfully magical…” 

“Excalibur had magic in Camelot, yes, but not the magic you knew. That magic belonged to Merlin, and it stayed bound to Excalibur until it could be reunited with the rest of Merlin’s soul,” Cassandra explained. 

“Cassandra, how do you know all of this?” Flynn asked. His eyes were shadowed in skepticism and grief. 

“I was getting to that,” she said. “The other piece of Merlin’s soul was reincarnated. When Excalibur was placed back in the stone and the magic went into the earth, Merlin’s soul could no longer keep its hold on the sword. Thankfully, you handed me Excalibur before it could disappear…” Cassandra trailed off, trusting Flynn to put the rest together. He stared at her for several minutes. 

“Meaning…” he started, “meaning _you’re_ the reincarnation of Merlin? _You’re Excalibur?!”_ Cassandra nodded. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes again. She had only known this man a couple of days, but at the same time she had known him for ten years. 

“Excalibur isn’t dead,” she sniffled. “I remember all of it.” Flynn grabbed her around the waist, picking her up and spinning her around, so happy that his friend was not dead. She hugged him for a while longer after he’d put her down. “One more thing,” she added, looking up at him, “that crown never belonged to Arthur, and I didn’t forge it. I think it is a much older artefact than our time, perhaps belonging to the High Priestesses. The first time I saw it was the day Morgana killed me. You said it controls magic, which explains how I couldn’t use mine when I faced her.” 

“We’re going to have to have a very long talk someday about the truth of Camelot,” Flynn decided. Cassandra nodded, she would gladly tell him everything she knew, and maybe they could figure out what had happened after she died. 

“Hello, Flynn,” a voice behind him said out of nowhere. “Sorry to interrupt. Welcome back, Merlin.” Cassandra squeaked in surprise. 

“Judson!” Flynn exclaimed, wheeling around. “Were you eavesdropping?” 

“Perhaps a little, but don’t worry, I can keep a secret,” he said to Cassandra. 

“Is the Library…?” Flynn started to ask. 

“In tact? Certainly,” Jenkins replied. Cassandra quietly stepped out of the room, seeing their need for a private moment. The former warlock walked back outside with Stone and Ezekiel, though she still did not want to leave. Perhaps her little revelation would have Flynn changing his mind about her, at least. 

Cassandra couldn’t help but feel there was a reason she was here beyond repairing her fractured soul. She reluctantly got into Jenkins’ car when he asked, intending to take them to the airport, until Flynn came running out of the Library. 

“New plan,” he said, stopping the car by stepping in front of it and putting his hands on the hood. They all got out of the car to hear what he had to say. “Although, I suspect it’s the old plan, I’m just figuring it out. Open your envelopes.” 

“Our airlines tickets?” Cassandra asked. She and the others removed the papers inside the white envelopes, the blank sheets immediately writing on themselves magically. In her hands was an invitation to the Library. She could have laughed herself silly with relief that she would not be sent away. 

“Just as I suspected,” Flynn said. “We have a lot of work to do.”


	2. Sequel & Santa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to post drabbles of scenes that I've written that don't fit into the actual stories when I post sequel announcements, and the one for this part was of a conversation I'd been playing out in my head ever since I started this journey. I ended up skipping the episodes And the Horns of a Dilemma and And Santa's Midnight Run, as I didn't think they would change based on the presence of a no-magic Merlin.

"Cassandra Cillian," Santa said, as soon as the two of them had a moment alone.

"Yes, Santa?" Cassandra asked. Santa took her hands in a fatherly gesture.

"Merlin Ambrosius," Cassandra jumped, "you are not alone."

"Not alone? What do you mean?"

"There are others, three of them, who have been reborn," Santa clarified. Cassandra felt feint.

"Who?" she squeaked.

"Santa cannot tell you that, Emrys," Santa said. His tone was sad, as if he wished he could help her more. "But you needed to know you are not alone, and that you will know soon." Cassandra pulled her hand from Santa's wiping a tear from her eye.

"Thank you," she said. She really had needed that. "Do you know why I've been reborn now? If it was just to repair my soul, there's no reason to wait fifteen-hundred years."

"Santa does not know, but Santa knows Emrys has something very important to do."

"Don't I always?" Cassandra smiled.


End file.
